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China Reports 5% Growth as AI Deals Surge and U.S. Weighs Punitive DRAM Tariffs

Fresh figures alongside corporate disclosures signal growth colliding with rising costs.

Overview

  • Official data show 2025 GDP at 1,401,879 billion yuan, up 5.0% year on year, with national online retail sales rising 8.6% to 159,722 billion yuan and household car ownership reaching 52.9 per 100 households.
  • OpenAI disclosed 2025 annualized revenue above $20 billion and confirmed plans to introduce its first hardware device in the second half of 2026.
  • Sequoia Capital is reported to be preparing to join a potential $25 billion financing that would value Anthropic at about $350 billion, though the parties have not commented.
  • A U.S. Commerce signal at a Micron event warned memory makers to build fabs domestically or face tariffs of up to 100%, a DRAM-focused stance that could lift global memory prices.
  • A PwC survey of 4,454 CEOs found 56% saw no revenue or cost gains from AI over the past year, and only 12% reported both higher revenue and lower costs.